Need Help Fixing Grub After Win 10 Install

Hi,
So here's my issue. I have Zorin OS Core installed on sdf
sdf1 512 mb EFI
sdf2 32 gb swap
sdf3 rest of the disk /

I installed windows 10 to sdb thinking i could just reorder the drives after the windows install and boot back into grub and once in Zorin, update Grub to reflect the new windows install. But of course that didn't work. I am currently in Zorin via live usb. My Zorin drive is no longer seen as a bootable device in bios. Sooooo. how do i get myself out this mess. Thanks in advance.

I have encountered similar issues with my various GNU/Linux OS's not showing in the BIOS on the main screen where boot order is just a case of sliding up to the top. Can you see the drive if you go to the Boot Order page? That is what I have had to do after looking at my Q4OS drive which I haven't done in a while.

Just to add, I had managed to get Q4OS to dual-boot on my youngest's PC prior to it having a TPM 2.0 chip installed for Windows 11. Running ZorinOS in live mode and using the Boot Repair utility indicated it needed the Debian x64.efi installing, which I don't have a clue how to do, so suspect it will be a similar EFi thing with your issue with Zorin. I think what happens is Windows (as usual) thinks it knows best and overwrites the EFI file in BIOS - await for others with more experience than me!

Can someone check this suggestion out?:

" Windows 10 has deleted or overwritten the Linux EFI boot entry, you can restore the ability to boot into Linux by reconstructing the GRUB bootloader or using a boot manager like rEFInd. First, ensure the Ubuntu installation is intact, as the recovery process will fail if critical files are missing. Boot from a live USB or CD-R version of rEFInd, disable Secure Boot if necessary, and use rEFInd to access the Ubuntu boot option. If a separate /boot partition is used, you may need to manually add the root filesystem parameter (e.g., root=/dev/sda6 ) using the F2 or Insert key to open a text editor.

Once booted into Ubuntu, reinstall GRUB using the command sudo grub-install at a terminal prompt.

Alternatively, install rEFInd directly to the hard disk via its Debian package or PPA. If you choose to reinstall GRUB, the process will restore the missing grubx64.efi file and related entries on the EFI System Partition (ESP), effectively repairing the boot list.

If the EFI partition itself was corrupted or deleted, you may need to recreate it. Use a Windows 10 installation USB or DVD to boot in UEFI mode, open a command prompt with Shift+F10, and use diskpart to select the appropriate disk and partition, assign a temporary drive letter (e.g., G: ), and run bcdboot C:\Windows /s G: /f ALL to rebuild the Windows boot files.

Afterward, manually add a Windows boot entry to the Linux bootloader configuration by editing /boot/efi/loader/entries/windows.conf and adding the appropriate efi path and title . You can also use tools like EasyUEFI to manually create a new EFI boot entry pointing to \\EFI\\ubuntu\\shimx64.efi .

For a more direct approach, if the original Linux EFI files are still accessible (e.g., from a backup or a mounted ISO), copy them back to the ESP and ensure the boot order is correct using efibootmgr in Linux.

If the system uses a dual-boot setup, ensure GRUB is installed to the correct EFI partition, as Windows may have overwritten the boot order or overwritten GRUB files."

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My linux system should be intact. It's on a separate drive. But I didn't realize there might be a efi component in the bios that could make the drive unbootable.

I can see all the drives in bios. But, only the windows drive appears as a bootable drive choice. Its an ASUS mb. My thought was that I could boot into a live usb, reinstall grub from a teminal. After that i could update grub to find the windows OS and I'd be back where I started but with a fresh windows 10 installation.

So Simple:
Run Zorin OS from a live usb. Open a terminal. In terminal I installed a utility aptly named "Boot-Repair".

Boot Repair Home Page

Ran it from the terminal and it opens a gui with all the correct options selected. It examines all your drives finds linux and re-installs Grub then updates Grub to find the windows bootloader. Fixed.

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I just did a sudo update-grub - and no joy. I think what Windows does it screws up the EFI keys in the BIOS. So for now, (I should point out that my Windows 10 Pro drive was an update from Windows 7 Pro and used in HotSwap Bay. Currently the one fixed in the tower has LMDE 7 on it and that shows up in the BIOS after pressing F2 at boot, also an ASUS mobo. I will take some shots on my camera and you will see what I mean.
Hang tight!

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See my edit above your post

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Boot repair is on the live usb Zorin and it did not work on my youngest's machine. This is my issue:

Main BIOS screen:

Which I can't show as file is too large! LOL!

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This is part of the trouble in installing Windows OS after installing a GnuLinux distro.
For this reason, we usually recommend installing the dsitro after Windows OS.

Anything in this post help?

Yes, you're right of course, Linux should come last. But in this case I already had a working windows installation in dual boot configuration but it was a mess with years of junk and some important folders spread over multiple drives.

Since I've move completely to Linux and there is just one essential estimating app I occasionally need on Windows, I thought I'd take the opportunity to clean-up Windows via fresh install. Anyway I should have done a bit more research before jumping in. Windows hates Linux.

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